How to Make David Chang’s Momofuku Ramen at Home

Want to recreate the Momofuku ramen experience at home? Following this step-by-step, detailed recipe will elevate your ramen game to celebrity chef levels.

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Over 10 years ago, I discovered ramen. Not the “instant” type of ramen but rather the complex, gourmet soup made with several components prepared with love and care. Since there were no restaurants serving it in my hometown (the first ramen joint would open over 5 years later), I’d watch it made on TV and online, and I’d read about it in blogs and cookbooks. The more I learned about the craft of making ramen, the more I craved it.

Soon enough, tasting and eating ramen became an obsession during my travels. When I visited cities such as New York, Paris, and eventually (finally!) Tokyo, I’d research the best ramen places to visit before any other types of restaurant. From bowl to bowl, I sampled a wide variety of broths, different thicknesses and textures of noodles, and all sorts of different toppings, from the most conventional to the most creative. In other words, I discovered the sheer amount of work that goes into those bowls of comfort.

Back home, I’d whip up shortcut ramen, bathing dry ramen noodles in store-bought chicken stock, topping them with whatever protein I had on hand—rotisserie chicken, ground pork, fried tofu—and adding a ton of fresh veggies for color and flavor. These bowls weren’t authentic in the least, but they were comforting and satisfying. And, in any case, I didn’t ever consider that it would be possible to make ramen that would even come close to what specialized restaurants served.

Enter the Momofuku cookbook. Back in 2009, David Chang was a celebrity chef, but he wasn’t yet the icon he would eventually become. I bought his first cookbook wanting to learn more about this witty, unconventional chef who seemed to follow no rules and no one. I’d heard a lot about his New York City ramen joint, Momofuku, and, since I’d yet to visit it in person, I figured I’d learn more about what made it unique through the namesake cookbook.

David Chang’s Momofuku cookbook is an entertaining read: you could very well go from cover to cover without cooking anything from it and still fully appreciate the book. Chang tells page-turning stories about his childhood and past experiences, and, though it feels and looks a lot like a coffee-table book, once you get into the recipes, you realize Momofuku is also a surprisingly approachable cookbook. Chang’s casual tone guides you through each recipe and every step as if he were in the kitchen with you. Though many of the recipes are time-consuming, they read like you could actually achieve them, and get satisfying results to boot—not always a given with celebrity chef cookbooks.

After juggling with the idea for a while and reading the recipe dozens of times, I decided I’d try my hand at making the Momofuku ramen. I’d yet to make it to the New York City restaurant, but maybe I’d get to enjoy its iconic soup at home and learn a thing or two about ramen along the way.

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Since then, I’ve made the Momofuku ramen broth several times, slightly adapting and tweaking it to make it easier to pull off in my home kitchen. I use only ingredients I can find easily and take shortcuts to make the recipe achievable in a few hours. Yes, making Momofuku ramen is a project, but the recipe does make a big batch of broth, which means you’ll get to enjoy the fruits of your labor in many delightful ramen bowls to come.

“Ramen = broth + noodles + meat + toppings and garnishes. It’s that simple and that complex, because variations are endless.” —David Chang, Momofuku cookbook.

What I love most about Chang’s approach to cooking in general and ramen in particular, is that he’s not elitist about it. He hasn’t ever claimed to make “authentic” ramen; he just makes ramen he loves to eat. His Momofuku ramen recipe gives you room to improvise and not feel guilty about it.

“Everyone says ramen is rigid; that it has to be one exact thing. It isn’t, and it doesn’t. Yes, this (recipe) is what we put into our ramen, but the most important thing is that you make it delicious, not that you make it exact: bean sprouts, chicken, tofu—there’s a world of stuff you can put in the broth. Make it taste good.” —David Chang, Momofuku cookbook.

What’s in a classic bowl of ramen?

Japanese ramen recipes vary widely, but the broth is usually made of pork bones and seaweed, the noodles are usually freshly made alkaline noodles, the protein is usually pork, and the toppings usually include nori, bamboo shoots, soft-boiled eggs, and green onions.

How to assemble an easy homemade ramen

Here’s a basic formula you can use to build any ramen-inspired bowls of soup.

• Start with broth: You can use store-bought or homemade chicken or vegetable broth. You will need 2 cups (500 ml) broth per serving;
• Enrich your broth: Deepen the flavor of your broth by seasoning it with your choice of soy sauce, miso, ginger, hot sauce, and so on;
• Pick your noodles: fresh or dried egg noodles, soba or udon noodles, or simply a humble square of dried ramen noodles;
• Add vegetables: bean sprouts, broccoli, spinach, carrots, corn, mushrooms, and so on;
• Top with protein: cooked chicken, shrimp, fish, poached egg;
• Garnish: sliced green onions, toasted sesame seeds, furikake, or anything else that will add a final layer of flavor and crunch.

How to make Momofuku ramen at home

Momofuku ramen isn’t your run-of-the-mill, instant ramen. Here’s how you can elevate homemade ramen to celebrity chef levels.

• Make David Chang’s pork broth from scratch (recipe below).

• Season the broth to taste. In his book, Chang states that “underseasoned broth is a crime.” He explains that Tokyo-style ramen broths are seasoned with “taré,” a seasoning sauce made with chicken drippings. Though he does provide a recipe to make Momofuku’s version of taré, it’s another lengthy process I’ve decided to skip at home. I created a shortcut version by combining Japanese soy sauce, mirin, and kosher salt (you’ll find the detailed ratio in the broth recipe, below.) You’ll need to train and trust your tastebuds to properly season ramen broth. Chang says he “likes it so it’s not quite too salty but almost.”

• Use quality noodles. Some ramen shops sell their homemade noodles; ask around in case your local shops do that. Some Asian grocery stores also sell handmade noodles, fresh or frozen. I like to use classic lo mein noodles, which are easy to find and what Momofuku served in their ramen up until they started making their own noodles from scratch.

• Add shredded meat—either pork or chicken works. I like to use the chicken that falls off the chicken legs I used to make the broth.

• Make soft-boiled ramen eggs. The yolks of ramen eggs have a uniquely “jammy” texture—they’re neither runny nor fully set. The egg white is also beige to light brown in color because the soft-boiled eggs are peeled then marinated in a combination of soy sauce and mirin. You can easily make ramen eggs at home—I’m including my recipe at the bottom of the post.

• Go the extra mile and make pickled shiitakes. This topping is bursting with umami and adds a really unique dimension to Momofuku ramen. There’s no reason why you wouldn’t make this extra component, really, because it reuses the dried shiitakes that soaked in the broth. No waste, and so, so much extra flavor!

• Top it off with classic garnishes—or be creative: Classic Momofuku ramen toppings include small squares of nori, sliced fish cakes (“naruto”—you can find these in the freezer section of Japanese or some Asian markets), bamboo shoots, and sliced green onions.

And there you have it: unforgettable ramen you made from scratch. While it may not taste exactly like the Momofuku ramen you’d be served in New York City—chefs always have special tricks up their sleeves—this homemade Momofuku ramen is a pretty darn impressive bowl indeed. The broth is bold and complex in flavor, even masculine in its over-the-top meaty way. I mean, who would think of replacing the classic seafood used in ramen broth with bacon, other than David Chang?

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This homemade Momofuku ramen broth tastes luxurious: its richness coats your palate, but it’s not so cloyed with fat that you can’t finish your bowl. I find this broth to be balanced and easy to enjoy.

How long does it take to make Momofuku ramen at home?

From making the ramen broth to preparing the components, the process of making Momofuku ramen at home takes several hours. While you could definitely do it all in a day, I recommend spreading this process over two days. Upon resting, the broth will fully develop its flavors and taste even better the next day. This is exactly why it’s great that the recipe makes a big batch of broth. You’ll get to freeze the extra broth in portions and enjoy it in many delicious bowls to come.

Once the ramen broth is done, the important step in making ramen at home is the prep work. Once your broth is hot, your noodles are cooked, and the garnishes (protein and veggies) are ready, then it’s just an assembly line that leads to homemade ramen happiness.

What essential tools do I need to make Momofuku ramen at home?

While making the broth is a process, it doesn’t require any special tools. The one thing you absolutely need is a large stockpot, at least a 6-quart capacity. The original recipe produces 5 quarts of broth (!), but I’ve adapted it to fit the stockpot most people are likely to have in their kitchens. My adapted recipe produces 3 quarts (12 cups) of ramen broth, but the broth reduces down to that final amount, so you need room to add a lot more water and simmering ingredients.

If you have a very large stockpot on hand (12+ quarts), feel free to double the recipe to produce a larger quantity of ramen broth. As David Chang notes, the ramen broth “freezes nicely (…). Making less seems like a waste of time when you’ve got a pot on the stove.”

How to get started making Momofuku ramen at home

The recipes you need to make Momofuku ramen at home are right below. The two essential recipes at the ramen broth recipe and the assembly and serving instructions. Because making the ramen broth is a long process, I suggest printing the recipe, which will make it easier to refer to it throughout.

At the end of the post, you will also find recipes for the Pickled Shiitakes and Ramen Eggs, two additional components that will make your Momofuku ramen experience complete.

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